Rockwall Criteriums

If you missed the recap of day 1 of our epic weekend then follow the link to read all about our experience at the Hot Rocks Bike Ride.  Fair warning about day 2 though ..... it's a long one.

The Beginning
Day 2 of our epic weekend didn't exactly start as planned.  The first event on the agenda was a 10k for Angelia at the Hottest Half & 10k.  This was a big event for her but she elected to skip it.  Why?  Well, here's a clue .... when she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen she was wearing sunglasses.  Not a good sign.  She had a wicked headache and every sight and sound meant pain.

While the 10k was a lost cause, the rest of the family still had the Rockwall Criteriums to look forward to.  The itinerary included my first ever race at 10:55am (35+ 4/5), the Kids Showdown at 12:20pm for the boys, and another race for me at 3:30pm (4/5).  Have you ever tried to prepare yourself for a race while trying to keep two hyperactive boys from screaming constantly, and thereby adding to your wife's pounding headache?  Not easy.  In fact, I failed miserably at managing the situation.  The one smart move was enlisting the help of my dad as Angelia still wanted to watch me race and the boys needed to get there with their bikes.

Men 35+ Cat 4/5
Unfortunately, I got ready a bit later than planned, took a big longer to get my number and pin it than planned, and before I knew it I had practically no time to get warmed up.  Ideally for a short intense race like a crit you want a nice long warm-up.  Instead I rolled up to the line in the back of the pack with only several minutes in my legs.

Don't bother looking for me.  I'm in the back.

Once we started I thought I'd probably be ok.  Sure, the pace was quick and I was at the back of the pack but it didn't feel insane.  I played it a little too cautiously on a couple turns and 2 laps in, I was off the back.  At that point the wind became a factor and I just couldn't close the gap.  There were 3 of us popped off and we managed to hook up.  I spotted the pack at one point and realized this was going to be very short lived at our current pace.  I wanted to make something out of this race so I started thinking about where to put in an effort and distance myself from the other 2 riders.  I sat 3rd wheel after turn 1, drank a bit of Heed, and caught my breath for a bit.  Just before turn 3 I broke to the left and took the turn a bit wider putting me in a sheltered position from the NE wind.  That little relief allowed me to crank the cadence up and clear both riders in time to take an aggressive line on turn 4.  I got out of the saddle for part of the frontstretch to make sure the gap stuck.  I felt really good about this - it kept the race from feeling like a total waste.

Taking a short pull before recovering and
finally dropping these 2 guys for good.

A couple laps later the scooter was coming up on me and I knew I was about to be swallowed by the pack.  I kept the effort up the best I could including a leg-searing out of saddle effort up the hill.  I remember thinking, "Well, that's a new kind of burn."  I staved off my demise by more than a lap finally succumbing on turn 2 of lap 8.  I pulled off at the completion of that lap because I didn't see the point of killing myself for another 20 minutes in the heat when I was going to do another race in the afternoon.  With the way the morning had been, I thought it best to take what little opportunity I had to reset my brain, rest a little, and come into the 2nd race better prepared.  In the end, I was disappointed to be lapped only 20min in but was glad I salvaged part of it with 2 efforts in particular - my planned move to drop the other 2 stragglers and giving it that one last shot to hold off being lapped.

Kids Showdown
After watching the Womens Cat 4 and Juniors Cat 4/5 race that occurred after mine, it was time for the Kids Showdown!  The event was changed up a bit at the last minute and both the big and little kids did 1 lap of the mile long loop.  For the big kids, this was shortened from the expected 2 laps.  For the little ones it was suddenly much more challenging than the 1/4 lap they've done in the past.  This race story is best told in pictures:

Julian gets caught in a chaotic start.

Lining up the little ones.

Looking like a future cyclist.

Julian challenges for 2nd at the finish.

Connor up the final hill in a clear 2nd place.

First cycling medal!

3rd for Julian and 2nd for Connor

Mens 4/5

After the kids were done we loaded up and went home (a whopping 1-1/2mi away).  Sitting in the air conditioning with a little food and a chance to dry out my race kit were all beneficial.  I pulled out on time and got a better warmup than in the morning.

Unfortunately the race wasn't much different.  I did stick with the pack a little longer but it wasn't in an efficient manner.  A couple of those laps were spent "tailgunning", getting gapped every straight and closing it each turn.  Eventually I failed to close that gap and it was back to soloing in the wind.  There was no help this time around.  There were others popped off but the gaps remained.  This became a gruelling hot workout and not much more.  Just like in the morning race, I was lapped 20 minutes in.  I tried to hook on to the pack but no such luck - missed the train.  The solo laps were a struggle but eventually I was able to close a gap on another dropped rider that had consistently been 300m in front of me.  It didn't seem like he wanted to work together but he grabbed my wheel and I just couldn't find the energy to shake him.  After a while I started pulling a bit to the side and letting up hoping he'd pull ahead of me.  He would slow as well and made an obvious comment on how totally cooked he was.  Translation:  No way in hell was he pulling.  That bugged me enough that I found the small bit of extra oomph I needed to finally shake him.  By the time the race ended I was 2 laps down.  Heck, I didn't even realize when the race was over!

No-one around me.  Not a good sign.

I was a bit more disappointed in this race.  I thought it would go better than the first one and I was shocked at how slowly I was going towards the end.  I realize that was partially the product of the heat and wind which definitely picked up throughout the race.  In fact, towards the end I had a close call thanks to a swirling wind.  There were 3 of us, all 1 or 2 laps down, and you could see a swirl of leaves to the inside of the course just after turn 2.  That swirling mass of leaves started moving right for us and when it hit, all of our bikes were moved sideways.  The only thing that kept it from being a disaster was we all saw it coming and were able to space out and brace ourselves.

The End
With that, the day's racing was over.  Both boys were happy with their rides and medals.  Connor absolutely loves racing and getting bling.  Julian was a bit bummed about the shaky start and the shortening of the race but was pleased with how he rode, especially the sprint up the final hill.  Meanwhile, I got 2 official races under my belt, albeit with significantly less pack time than I hoped for.  There's a lot of work to be done before my target event in 4 weeks.  Connor gave me a tip that should help me get to the front of the pack though .....

"You know what you need to do better in your next race, Daddy?"
"What do I need?"
Connor rolls up the right leg on his shorts, points to his quad, and proclaims,
"These!"

Good advice little man.  Good advice.

Hot Rocks Bike Ride

Day one of this epic weekend started in a most curious way ...... with rain!  Here we are in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record and on the morning of the Hot Rocks Bike Ride it is nothing but clouds and rain.  This wasn't going to change anything as far as I was concerned but I wasn't sure how Angelia and Julian would handle it.  The long route has a race component to it and thus starts separately from the short route so I didn't see them much once the bikes came off the bike rack.  Below is the story of my ride followed by their experience as it was relayed to me.

My Day - A Tale of Water, Grime, and Riding with Streamers
The start gun fired and I ..... totally missed my pedal as my foot slipped awkwardly off it.  You'd think I had never clipped in before.  Just like that I was watching everyone pull away.  I ended up in a small 7-man group that included one other Rockwall Cycling racer.  It was weird with the weather as your choices were limited to 1) work hard in the wind, or 2) get pelted by grimy water from the wheels in the pack.  We kept it going at a solid pace and eventually shook off 3 of the riders.   The two non-RC riders were a little erratic with their efforts (and drafting).  On one of their unpredictable surges I reacted late and popped off the back.  Soon after I saw the other RC jersey drifting back to me.  I caught up to her and had one of my better efforts on the day as we bridged.  Eventually we were both popped off again 20-something miles in and decided to let them go.

Not the typical sunny day in north Texas

It was at this point the day started throwing little things at me.  The right bar end came off and my bar tape started unraveling.  It looked like I had a long red streamer on my handlebars.  Soon after that I threw my chain.  I got the chain back on quickly and tried to hook up with a pack that was passing but missed the tail end so it was a solo ride to the rest stop about 33mi in.  I planned on this being my only stop and a quick one at that.  I refilled my bottles, hit the portajohn, and re-wrapped the bar.  With no cap I just wrapped it with less overlap and stuffed a large portion in the end hoping it would hold.  I asked the volunteers if anyone had any tape but no luck.  One guy did have a tie-wrap though and I cinched that around the end to keep the tape in place.  While I was doing that, my friend Keith showed up.  Looks like I wouldn't have to finish solo!

We pulled out together and soon were swallowed up by a huge pack - the official pace group.  For awhile it was a nice pace with minimal effort and we just sat in.  By the time we were on the hillier section of the route ("hillier" is a relative term here) it became apparent neither Keith or I were thrilled with the way the group was riding the hills (bomb down but carry none of the pace back up). We decided to stick with them to a particular junction then pull away.  First, I had some other business to tend to .... another red streamer!  I guess the Lizard Skin bar tape and bar end caps just don't like the rain.  My right one is already tie-wrapped down and here I am re-wrapping my left one while going 30+mph downhill.  FYI, the force needed to stuff enough of the tape in the end to hold it is also enough force to turn your bike!  This became an interesting balancing act of pack position, pacing, stuffing the bar end and counteracting it with the opposite hand.  I (and everyone around me) survived so it was back to the game plan.  We made a left hand turn and took the shoulder.  We easily slipped past the pacesetters who had the group on fresh chipseal.  The gap we opened never closed.

Keith and I took turns pulling in the wind but would ride side-by-side in easier sections.  The route had a couple turns towards the end taking us off the I-30 access road and then back to it adding about a mile.  I thought that was a bit strange and am guessing it had to do with bypassing some construction.  In fact, at one point Keith and I had to slow because a construction vehicle pulled out in to the only available lane in front of us.  We crossed the line after 58+ miles feeling pretty good.  Both of our families were standing together at the finish.  If I had known that, I might have sprinted in for fun!

Considering I didn't "race" this course, I felt good about the 20+mph average.

Their Day - A Tale of Mom vs Son vs Random Kid
As we walked towards the post-race refreshments I could tell Angelia and Julian had a different kind of day from mine.  Heck, Julian's jersey was still white!  Mine was nowhere near its original color after nearly 3hrs of rainy riding.  But I knew there would be a story to tell because I sneaked a peek at his bike computer.  It looked to be one of his faster rides - a good sign.

Their course was a familiar 12+mi out-and-back route.  Apparently the out portion was just a typical ride -  Julian wasn't really pushing it and Angelia was ahead.  When she made the turnaround she saw Julian and another kid riding against each other.  She took it easy spinning up a hill to allow them to catch her a bit when ..... bam, they flew by her!  Uh-oh, Momma couldn't get beat by her 9yr old.  It was time to ride!  Julian wanted to use what he's learned and share the workload but the other boy just wanted to keep half-wheeling him as they battled it out.  Angelia had to slow at one intersection and when she was waved through she told the police officer that 2 boys were racing behind her and to make sure they could go right through.  In the end Julian won his battle and both of them felt great about their rides.  All in all, a very good day at the "not so Hot" Rocks.

Stay tuned for the epic weekend day 2 recap when the entire family had races scheduled ......

Tour de Cure

Last Saturday the family did the Tour de Cure, a rally supporting the American Diabetes Association.  Angelia and Julian were taking on the 32mi route while I went for the full 64mi route.  The start/finish was at Texas Motor Speedway (yep, we've raced there before at the Texas Motor Speedway Duathlon).  It's a fair drive for us but worth it for the early 7am start.  After all, it's been hot in Texas.  How hot?  I could tell you how many consecutive triple-digit days we've had but this paints a clearer picture ..... the other night my youngest complained that the shower water was too warm ...... I had it on cold.  This time of year we don't get hot and cold running water, we get hot and not quite as hot.  Yes, refrigerating your hydration overnight is important.

Pre-Ride
When we arrived the first order of business was to hit the restroom.  One nice thing about the event being held at the racetrack is you get full shower & toilet facilities instead of porta-potties.  However, it was still early and the lights weren't on.  Inside there'd be an occasional eerie glow from a cell phone but otherwise it was pitch black.  Navigating public restrooms in pitch blackness is a bit of an odd scenario.  You can't exactly feel your way around!  This is further complicated when you're in cycling bibs which can produce bathroom challenges of their own.

We got our bikes set up and Angelia went to get our event shirts which for some reason were not available at the early packet pickups.  No sooner did she get to the end of the parking lot than she turned around.  Flat tire!  Neither of us brought multiple tubes so before the rally had even started, she had used her one spare tube.  The tire change also meant we were running a bit behind and needed to hustle.  We made it to the line on time, even nudging our way up towards the front where our fellow Cheesy Riders had gathered.  We listened to the national anthem and we're off!

The Ride
The ride starts with a loop around the track.  They keep you down on the apron through the turns but you can get up on the banking in the straightaways.  It's kind of a cool way to start a rally.  After completing a lap you turn back through the start line in the opposite direction.  As I made the turn I waved at Angelia and Julian.  Little did I know that mere moments later Julian would come to a sudden stop and Angelia unable to unclip would take a tumble.  She banged her knee pretty good and was concerned about her ability to continue.  Of course, I was long gone by this point so if she didn't continue then Julian would miss out on his ride too.  So she forged ahead.

Ang & Julian - a Tale of Two Rides

On the out portion of the route, Julian was riding ahead at a reasonable pace.  Angelia was fighting her knee but keeping him in sight.  She said that there was a lot of "single leg" pedaling with her right doing all the real work and the left being just along for the ride.  Things changed once they hit the rest stop at the turnaround point though.  Julian had been doing well on his hydration but neglected taking in any calories.  This combined with the headwind on the return route made for a slower boy ..... and suddenly mommy was flying by him.  In the end they had a solid 32mi ride which beat Julian's previous long by a couple miles.

Chris - a Tale of Ugh
My goal on this ride was to stick with the lead pack and be self-sufficient (no rest stops).  I had 3 bottles and an assortment of nutrition options.  Unfortunately, the initial lap around TMS stretched the field and made it tough for packs to form after exiting through the single lane tunnel.  A couple miles in I hooked up with a small group and did my first ever echelon as the crosswinds were significant.  It was a fight for me to stay with them and I got gapped (more like dropped) at the 16mi mark.  Not good.  One bright spot was I did some of my best time-trialing for the next 4mi trying to close (and I did .... a little).  In fact, this was my fastest stretch on the entire ride (by FAR) even though I was solo at the time.  I was closing on them when my Garmin alerted me I was off course.  I turned around and took it a bit easier hoping the group would realize their error and soon catch up to me.  It never happened but a larger, faster group came by.  I hooked on with them to the turnaround point for our route.  Surprisingly they stopped here so I scrapped my initial plan and took a moment too.

I hit the porta-john, had a half-banana, and began to wonder how long the pack was stopping.  It was longer than I planned on so I took off as a solo rider.  Eight miles later, at the 40mi mark, they caught me.  We were flying along on some challenging terrain (horrible roads, headwind, and 7% grades) until I dropped my chain. Say goodbye to that group. Other than briefly hooking up with a group of 4 for some wind relief, the remainder was a solo effort.  Then, at the 60mi mark my right knee went.  The quads and hamstrings had both shown the early signs of giving out but the knee was sudden.  The pain was sharp just above the knee on the inside.  With only 4mi to go I kept pushing forward and soon discovered it only bugged me on climbs.  I was perfectly fine on the flats.  Overall the ride was just brutal roads with wind and a few more climbs than I expected.  In fact I disliked the route so much I have no plans of ever riding that one again.

Post-Ride
When I crossed the line, Angelia and Julian were already eating and relaxing under a canopy.  The rally had all the usual stuff with food, music, and massages.  I thought it strange they only had chair massages though.  This is a cycling event people .... table massages are needed to work the quads and hammies!

I should mention that both Angelia's knee and my knee ended up being fine after a couple days of rest and ice.  No long term ill effects here.  We both ran successfully yesterday, and this morning I even did my hill route so if it was going to flare up I gave it plenty of opportunity.

Stay tuned for my next post when I explain why I was so determined to finish with the lead pack ..... any guesses?

Blazing Saddles Duathlon

This past weekend was my second ever duathlon (the first was Fast & Furious back in April).  A few things have changed in the months in between - namely the temperature has risen significantly.  My run "training" has been minimal so I wasn't expecting any improvement in that area.  However, I did anticipate a better bike leg despite the heat.  In the end I thought 1:05 was a good target for this 2miR / 9.5miB / 2miR course.

The race was put on at White Rock Lake, a very popular spot in Dallas among runners (like my sister) and cyclists.  Personally, I've always avoided it because of its popularity.  Cycling at high speeds around runners and other pedestrians, pets, etc. is hazardous at best so why would I seek it out?  In this case, it was a negative as I was likely the only participant who had never ridden the course.  On top of that, it's not a closed course so my first time dodging all these obstacles would be in a race situation while in aero position.  Not ideal.

Race morning went well as I got a decent breakfast, was well hydrated, got a great transition spot (open racking!), and generally felt ready to take it on.  This wasn't a major target so there was no stress.  In fact, I felt free to just "go for it".  I threw in a little warm-up run, had a pre-race GU, and then they announced a 15min delay. WTF?  I'm primed and ready to go!  With as quickly as temps were going up, every minute was precious.

Run 1 - 2mi
Eventually, they gave us the go signal and we were off running.  A 5k race started with us and this worked against me a bit as I got sucked up in the momentum and didn't manage my pace.  Normally, I'm excellent at finding the right pace which should have been around 8:30min/mi for the first run leg.  Instead, my first mile was 7:42 - oops!  That would be fine for an aggressive 5k but not for this.  I slowed up a bit and finished the route in 16:21.

T1
Transition was fairly quick.  No idea what the time was as the official splits haven't been posted anywhere I can find.  My heartrate was elevated higher than I wanted but I figured that would come down a bit once I got in my comfort zone on the bike.

Bike - 9.5mi
The bike started well except for one thing - my HR wouldn't budge!  This would be the downfall of my day.  No matter what I did my HR just did not want to recover.  Ok, ok, honestly I probably just wasn't patient enough to let it recover while out on the race course and I just kept pushing forward.  I had one spot where I slowed to a crawl as I wasn't 100% certain on the route and another where I dropped my water bottle (doh!).  It was a Camelbak Podium Big Chill so I pulled a quick u-turn and grabbed it - couldn't have cost me more than a couple seconds.  Unfortunately, in both instances my heart just kept on beating fast.  In the end I had a decent bike split of 28:17 but felt I could have done so much more had I taken it easy on the first run.

T2
By this point I was hyper-aware of my HR and intentionally took it a bit easier in transition.  I walked instead of running in transition and generally didn't rush anything.  Did it help?

Photos are thanks to my wife.

Run 2 - 2mi
Nope.  Relaxed transition or not, my HR was still up (did I mention the sweltering heat?).  I took off on the 2nd run which actually went the opposite direction from the 1st run leg.  This run was B-R-U-T-A-L.  By the 1/2mi mark I had slowed to a 10min/mi pace with a HR at max.  I had to do something so I walked and focused on my breathing.  I've walked once before in a race and ended up with a 5k PR so I knew walking a short while wouldn't kill me.  My HR slowed about 8bpm which isn't a lot but it was enough for me to give it another go.  I was doing better but still well off pace around 9min/mi then with only 1/2mi left to go I found my legs and was suddenly running around an 8min/mi.  Wow, a 2min/mi variance in the span of a single mile.  I crossed the finish line with a final run split of 17:38.

Overall
I crossed the line at 1:05:52.78 meaning I missed my realistically conservative goal by 53 seconds.  It was a weird feeling.  On one hand I was disappointed I missed the mark but on the other it was close enough I didn't think I could get too upset with myself.  It was clear what my issue was.  In my first duathlon my 2nd run was 6sec quicker than the first.  In this one I was 1:17 slower on the 2nd run.  I had clearly gone out too fast.  I knew it and it cost me.  If I had taken as little as 40sec longer on run 1 I would have been faster on the bike, in T2, and on run 2.  In the end, I would have hit my goal.  I know it.  When I got home and looked at the stats it was even more pronounced than I imagined.  AvgHR for Run1?  96% of MaxHR.  AvgHR on the Bike?  98% of MaxHR.  AvgHR for Run2?  97% of MaxHR.  Yeah, essentially I was at 97% MaxHR for over an hour in the hot Texas sun.  Surprised I didn't collapse.  In fact, something unexpected happened ......

Yep, 1st place Age Group!  Well, there was one guy in my age group who clobbered me by nearly 14 minutes (Really?  14 freaking minutes?), but he got 1st Overall so the Age Group award fell to me.  Heck, I don't get these often so I'll take it.  I wonder what I could do if I actually improved my running and had a tri bike?  Hmmm.

Try the Tri

Tri4SuccessMom and IronTexasMommy

Last weekend, the Try the Tri finally arrived.  This would be my wife's first triathlon.  It was originally planned to be my first as well but swimming is a work in progress.  As it is geared towards rookies (which made up about 2/3rds of the field), the distances are a hair shorter than the typical sprint tri with a swim of 250yds, a bike of 8mi, and a 2mi run to finish it off.  We knew the venue - it was the same as the Hooty's Kids Triathlon.  We also knew one of the volunteers, Shannon (aka IronTexasMommy).  She recently completed Ironman Texas and where did she get her start?  Yep, 2 years ago at Try the Tri.  If you're not familiar with her story, check out this article.

Pre-Race
With the hour-and-a-half drive to Decatur, TX and correlating early wake-up, it seemed prudent to ask the boys whether they wanted to come along or stay with my dad.  The little one chose a day with Paw-Paw while Julian wanted to witness his mom's first triathlon.  All the usual pre-race stuff was taken care of in terms of fueling the body, loading up the gear, and hitting the road with plenty of time to spare.

When we arrived I got her bike all set up while she checked in and got marked.  The field was capped at 100 athletes and Angelia would be starting 36th.  Then it was off to transition to get everything organized.  The racks were well labelled so there was no jockeying for position.  I thought it was nice that family was freely allowed in this area pre-race.  It probably helps a number of first-time competitors relax.  A stark contrast to the complete banishment of parents pre and post race at Julian's last kids tri.



Swim

Angelia just after entering the water in the top lane.

And they're off!  At 10sec intervals they enter the water starting with the swimmer that projected the fastest time.  I can only imagine what goes through the minds of those in the back of the line as they see that first swimmer glide through the water executing perfect under the rope flip turns.  Has to be nerve racking but that's the cool thing about this kind of event.  Almost everyone there is a bundle of nerves so you can't help but root for each other (which is pretty much standard for this awesome sport anyway).  Angelia entered the water and looked to be on good form.  Sure she got passed by the long-armed dude behind her but she made a pass as well.  Then around the 125yd mark I noticed a bit of a pause as she turned around.  The head was starting to lift and each time she hit the wall she seemed slightly less enthused to keep going.  I had no idea at the time what could possibly be bothering her on a swim of this distance.  Later it occurred to me the pool was heated and to put it simply - my wife and heat don't go together.  Post-race she confirmed that she was indeed over-heating in the pool.  Unfortunate and something we should have seen coming but she still completed the segment in a reasonable time.

T1
This went fairly well with only the small mistake of stepping on the transition mat with wet, grass-covered feet leaving her with no clean spot to stand while getting her shoes on.  Next time it'll be towel first then transition mat!  This combined with the lack of anything to grasp and a body recovering from overheating led to some balance issues while getting her socks and shoes on.  She ran out of transition with her bike looking ready to go but a traffic jam at the mount line slowed things for a moment.

Bike
With only 8mi for the bike leg, it didn't seem like this segment would present too much of a challenge and indeed she came in on the faster end of what we projected.  Apparently the course did have some toughness to it, especially considering this is a beginners' event.  Stretches of rough pavement were reported as well as it being a bit hillier than anticipated.  Check out this video where you can see Ang running to T1 at the 0:55 mark and on the bike at the 1:28 mark.

As a side note, while Angelia was out on the bike course Julian and I stood next to Shannon applauding each and every athlete as they came running towards transition from the pool.  The looks on their faces tell so many varying stories.  Shannon is such an enthusiastic volunteer, truly excited for these people and the journey they're beginning.  I appreciated having a moment to share in that.  Very inspiring.

T2
Angelia came flying in towards transition and had no problems with the dismount, unclipping a little early but not excessively so.  This being a rookie event you could see the fear in many as they had both feet unclipped and were slowing heavily a solid 200m from the dismount line.  As for Ang's transition, this one went very well.  The bike was on the rack in a flash, shoes changed, and she grabbed her Rockwall Running Center Race Team shirt to put on while running.

Run
Sponges were being handed out at the exit from transition and Angelia took advantage.  While the athletes clearly appreciated the opportunity to help control their body temps it should be pointed out that the weather that day was awesome!  When it has been triple-digits out recently and you manage to get a whole triathlon in with cloudy skies, minimal direct sunlight, lower wind speeds, and just flat-out great conditions you can't help being thankful, both as a competitor and a spectator.

Ang said the run started off uphill right away and her legs felt like bricks for about a mile and a quarter.  Replaying everything she ever heard from her running coach in her head is what kept her pushing through.  Most popular mantra?  "Suck it up."  Gotta love Coach B.  Eventually the legs did start to open up but she didn't push it opting to hold it steady to the finish.  Angelia came in right on target with a time of 1:06:39 for the event.  Big congrats!  Afterwards she said the run was the hardest segment for her but she's making great progress since the scary episode with the atypical migraine.  It's only a matter of time before her running returns to form and she knocks minutes off these times.  Congratulations to her and all the first-timers that slayed the triathlon dragon that day!

Look, I got a water!!! ..... and some bling too.

Angelia, Julian, and Vicki (another runner from our area that did her first triathlon)

Kids Tri at the J

So, if you were wondering why Julian didn't ride the Mesquite Rodeo Ride with us this year even though he had in the past, it's because he had a triathlon the next morning.  Originally we had him scheduled for the kids event at the Playtri Festival but switched to the Kids Tri at the J due to proximity.  The added bonus was the switch from Saturday to Sunday which allowed us to participate in the bike event in the first place.  Also, my mom happened to be in town helping with my sister's kids while she went for a little run in San Diego.  This was fortunate as it gave her an opportunity to see Julian in action for the first time.

As you may recall, 2 weeks prior he had participated in the Buffalo Creek Kids Triathlon.  We were surprised at his second consecutive struggle in the swim.  So much so that his big goal of the year (IronKids in Round Rock) got scratched.  Don't worry - he understands and is working hard to make sure he can be an IronKid next year.  Expect to see more on that in a future post.  This event was going to be a good stepping stone as the swim leg was 100m as opposed to the 50m of the last 2 events.  We were all curious how he'd handle it.  Well, he started off great!  The first length of the 33m pool was a solid swim.  Then he rolled onto his back and stayed there way too long veering side to side in the lane.  Kids were swimming around him and he just wasn't making progress.  There was no "race urgency" at all.  We've seen similar reactions before where he fails to distinguish between a training approach and a race.  As a result, his swim split was near the bottom of his age group placing 25th of 27.

The general lack of urgency continued in transition and was quite frustrating to watch.  Still, we hung on hope to the fact he sometimes starts slow and finds his groove as he goes.  I had set up his laces and we had practiced but it seemed like an eternity for the shoes to get on.  I'll be putting some Yankz on them in short order.

The bike route was 3mi long and looked to include at least one decent uphill segment.  There may have been more but we didn't scout the course so it was a bit of an unknown.  Julian's MO on the bike has been to have decent, but not great, efforts as his tendency is to reign things in a bit.  The average speed on his bike split seemed to indicate that's what happened once again.  However, he felt he pushed the bike pretty hard this time out and indeed he may have as he came in with the 4th best bike split in his age group.  Obviously he made up a lot of ground on the field with that result.  I believe he carried the momentum through transition though I didn't get to witness that (I was running across a field from my photo location).

The run, as most of you know by now, is Julian's strong suit.  This event like many others has a short run segment - in this case, only 1/2mi.  Unfortunately that works against him a bit as he's purely an endurance runner, not a sprinter, and 1/2mi just isn't enough time to do full damage on the field.  Even with that being said we were a bit surprised at first with his run placement putting him 11th out of the 27 competitors in his group.  We found out after he crossed the finish line that he had been fighting a stomach cramp that slowed him.  Oh well, that kind of thing can happen.  He still gutted out that 1/2mi and managed to finish 6th place in his age group.  Considering the hole he dug in the swim segment and the stomach cramps during the run, that was quite an impressive result.  There were positives (and lessons) to be taken from each phase.  The first pool length of the swim was excellent, the bike split placed highly, and the run was still respectable while fighting cramps.

All in all, with each triathlon he's getting closer to putting it all together.  He has the potential to absolutely demolish his current times and that day will surely come.  In the meantime there are some duathlons on the horizon so be ready for some eye-popping numbers.  While lack of urgency is sometimes a problem in kid-oriented events, that is a non-issue with full-blown adult events.  That's when he lays it all on the line (for proof, revisit the Fast&Furious race report).

My mom, Julian, Angelia, and the Amusing Athena (Jessica)

The Mesquite Rodeo Ride

The Mesquite Rodeo Ride was a bit of an impromptu event for us.  My training schedule had me doing the usual group ride out of Rockwall Cycling but this rally is so close that just about the whole group rides it.  Last year this event was Julian's first ever bike rally.  Angelia and I rode the 33k route with him at a 13.6mph pace.

Last year's Mesquite Rodeo Ride

This year it was replacing a race-pace group ride so that's how I approached it.  There was also an early t-ball game for Connor to consider.  That pretty much eliminated the 100k route from my list of options so I set out to ride the fastest 75k route I could.  Meanwhile, Angelia was going to tackle the same 33k route she did last year.  I think she would've preferred more but there are no in-between routes.

We got to the site at a reasonable time, registered, pinned our numbers on, prepped the bikes, and hit the restrooms.  At this point I was trying to figure out where all the Rockwall Cycling (RC) guys were.  I'd seen 2 that I didn't recognize but that was it.  I knew Joey wouldn't appear until just before the start as he rides from Rockwall to Mesquite, does the 100k, then rides back home.  Yeah, better him than me.  Last year they all started right up front so I slowly began riding towards the line.  And there goes Joey ..... the other way!  Oh well, no doubt he'll be heading back up to the front shortly.  Around this time I come across riding buddy Keith, whom you may recall from previous posts.  We stand around for a bit waiting for the inevitable group of RC guys while Angelia chats with a rider about his recumbent.  The start time is inching closer so I wish my wife luck on her ride and Keith & I make our way towards the front by navigating the parking areas to the right of the pack.  When we get up there we notice all of the RC riders are on the left side of the pack.  No problem - the race doesn't start for several minutes and we can cut across.

Then suddenly, they announce the start of the rally and we're off!  The early start had Keith and I merging into the pack from the side, barely squeezing by a truck at the starting line.  Just like that, all plans to ride with the RC race group were shot.  We weren't going to catch them and we knew it, but that didn't stop us from stubbornly riding our asses off trying to close the gap.  Well, by taking off like that we formed a nice little pack of our own with Keith and I doing the bulk of the work early on.  Eventually some guys from Plano Cycling & Fitness took over and must have felt the need to impress someone because they really pushed the pace.  This was no rally, it had become a race.  My heartrate was holding steady at 95% its max.  I should also mention that Keith rode an 8mi time trial the night before (and placed in his age group - congrats!).  Well, he sure as heck wasn't getting any recovery today!  I had drifted to the back of the pack with the increased pace but had no intentions of getting dropped so I made a move to the right to move up closer to Keith who was about mid-pack.  The instant I moved to the right the people who had been in front of me slowed rapidly and collided sending one sprawling across the pavement.  It looked like he went down in the best possible way and likely avoided anything beyond some nasty road rash.  Glad I made my move when I did.  Shortly after, it became clear the Plano Cycling guys didn't have the "oomph" they had earlier.  My HR had just gone sub-threshold, I asked Keith how he felt, and we were definitely on the same page.  Yep, we broke out of the line to the left and went up to the front to re-establish the previous pace ..... and we stayed there.

As we suspected, most everyone riding in a pack like this was doing the 100k route while we were going to do the 75k.  The routes split and we wished the rest of the guys a good ride as me made the left turn.  One other guy from the pack split off with us.  23 miles of our 47mi route had been completed in about 1 hour.  Once it was down to just 3 of us we didn't go quite as hard but we weren't exactly taking it easy either.  We each took our pulls out front but made a point to stay together.  As we suspected, we were the first riders on the return routes.  This became more and more evident as they just weren't ready for us at the intersections.  At one spot a cop waved riders through on the outbound side and then waved the cars to start right as we entered the intersection from the other direction.  Keith had just had a close call hitting a hole in the road while getting a drink and then having a cop wave traffic towards him made for two heart-jumping moments in quick succession.  A bit later on the route a cop actually had to move his car out of the coned off bike lane for us to pass.  Soon a support vehicle went around and ahead of us.  From that point on we had no trouble and it made for a more relaxed finishing stretch.

The marker near mile 23 is where the 100k and 75k routes split.
Honestly, I just included this to break up this mound of text I'm writing.

For the last 7 miles we were on the same route as the 33k riders.  Many on that route had already finished but I noticed there were a LOT more families riding it this year.  I'm not sure I've ever seen that many kids on a route that distance.  Normally I'm shouting out encouragements but this time I was a bit more tight-lipped after a day of riding hard.  I was firmly focused on finishing this ride strongly.  Just before the finish is a "Texas hill" which translates to a 6% incline on an overpass.  I maintained as much pace as I could on it and Keith was right there on my wheel.  Somewhere in the process though we lost our 3rd wheel.  We slowed up for a bit at the crest but neither of us saw him so we went on ahead.  If memory served me right it was just a short straightaway then a turn to the left for the finish line so I gave it a final effort and completed the 47.2 miles in 2:17 for a 20.6mph average!  The first 22.8mi had been at a 22.5mph avg and the last 24.4mi when it was just the 3 of us was still a 19.2mph avg.  Rockwall Cycling represented with a 1-2 finish in the 75k.  Not too shabby and a confidence booster of a ride.  Well, until the main Rockwall group crossed the finish line a whopping 6 minutes later.  Really?  They rode an extra 25k and it only took them 6 minutes longer?  Talk about a sport giving you the "look how far you've come" and then following it up with "look how far you have to go" .... wow.  On the bright side, there's a bit of local pride knowing our shop put the hurt on for both the 100k and 75k routes!

Keith and I chilling after a great ride.

Angelia was relaxing inside the post-ride pavilion and reported she had a great ride as well ..... though not exactly uneventful.  The pace was good and she was in good spirits.  However, early on she was basically stopped for about 5 minutes as a pile-up of cyclists had occurred at one of the turns.  She reported about 10 down, bloody faces, and medical personnel on site.  I have since read a couple other accounts of less serious incidents at the same location.  Apparently there was a lip in the road of a couple inches that was causing the issues.  Later in the ride there was another hiccup as someone had put a misleading turn marking in the road.  Angelia and several other riders made the turn and unwittingly added several miles to the route.  The route monitors got this straightened up fairly quickly.  This explained the excessive markings in one stretch on my return route where a turn arrow had been spray painted over.  In a way, it was a good thing for Angelia as she wasn't opposed to some additional mileage.  I think she and the others would've preferred it was planned mileage though.

Overall this is a great ride with fast routes at each distance.  The ride support was excellent, especially at adjusting on the fly (i.e. correcting the turn marking, sending a vehicle ahead of us on the return, accident response, etc.).  Also, the post-event grub was good.  Chicken sandwiches, a wide variety of drinks, and ...... a freezer full of Blue Bell treats like fruit pops, ice cream sandwiches, fudgesicles, and so much more - yum!  Only real complaint?  No sign of an official event photographer.  Since when does an event like this not have a photographer?  I was really hoping for a shot of Keith and I working hard at the front of a pack.  Oh well, maybe next time.  No time to pout ..... it's time for t-ball!

The American Heroes Race

It's been over a week since this race and I'm just now getting the recap posted.  Since then, Angelia and I have done a bike rally and Julian has done another triathlon.  By the time I get all 3 recaps posted, Angelia will be doing her first triathlon.  In other words, this blog is about to get heavy on the recaps.

The American Heroes Race was held on Memorial Day on a course around Texas Rangers Stadium.  Angelia and her running buddy Debbie were set to take on the 10k while Julian and I ran the 5k.  Julian had been doing the most running and expected to run well.  I think I had gotten out for a single 30 minute jog the week prior so I wasn't expecting greatness but felt I'd be fine.  Angelia and Debbie have both been overcoming injuries so their goal was simply to finish, preferably without walking, and in time for the 5k awards ceremony (in case Julian got anything).

Debbie, Angelia, Julian, and me pre-race

The day was hot, humid, and windy but frankly nowhere near as bad as it could've been.  There was a lot of cloud cover so at least the sun wasn't blaring down on us.  Julian and I weren't pre-registered so I headed over to the registration table to get us set up.  One problem .... I had no cash, no checks, and I forgot my ATM card.  Thankfully, Ang's mom swooped in to save the day!  We got our numbers pinned on, timing chips attached, and took the packets to the car (I somehow managed to get a spot literally across the street from the registration table).

The start was set up in 2 waves, one for those being chip-timed and one for those who weren't.  Julian and I got lined up, had a pre-race GU Jet Blackberry, listened to a good rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, watched a Blackhawk fly over, and it was time to race!

The first mile was very crowded but didn't feel congested.  It was like we had all agreed on a pace until things opened up.  It was a "just right" pace where I didn't feel like I was being held up too much and it kept me from taking off too fast.  Julian, as is typical early in a race, hung right with me.

Mile 1: 8:15

I told Julian to go on ahead, that the course was well marked and he has been training more on the run.  Once again he did his typical thing by pulling ahead of me by about a whopping 30ft then settled into the same pace constantly looking over his shoulder for me.

Mile 2: 7:45

The 5k and 10k routes split at this point with the 5k doing a quick turn-around before diverting around the ballpark.  Julian made the turn and I told him, "There's only a mile to go.  Kick it in!"  With that he suddenly darted forward weaving around everyone in his path.  This mile was strong for him and he smartly poured some water over his head at one of the aid stations (I didn't teach him that).  Me?  I maintained pace which was a good thing.

Mile 3: 7:47

The final stretch was all uphill in the wind.  Ugh!  It was also a bit longer than anticipated.  I did however succeed in my usual 5k goal - "to be close enough to see Julian cross the line".  The crowds were excellent with tons of cheering over the last quarter-mile.

Last .3mi: 7:43min/mi pace

Garmin says ..... 3.29mi in 26:00 for an avg pace of 7:55min/mi with a peak pace of 6:31min/mi.

Official results say:
Julian - 25:21.2 - 1/9 Age 9-10
Chris - 26:01.1 - 8/21 Age 35-39

All in all I thought it was a great race for both of us.  Not PR's but right in line with our best previous efforts even with the wind and humidity.  We knew we'd have some time before Ang and Debbie finished their 10k so we did what everyone does after a 5k ...... sit in a Blackhawk.

No, you may not take off.

The organizers began prepping for the awards ceremony and still no sign of the girls.  People migrated from their posts as cheering spectators along the final stretch to the award table.  Suddenly the finish was looking somewhat abandoned.  I hated that Angelia wasn't going to get the roar of the crowd that greeted Julian and I.  Even worse, by this point I knew Julian had won his age group and was worried she was going to miss it.  Remember, her modest goal going into the event was "Finish in time for the award ceremony."  Then ....

There they are!  Easily recognizable from a distance in their matching Rockwall Running Center race shirts.  This was going to be just like the Trinity River Levee Run earlier this year where after her first 10k I gave her a quick congrats and rushed her over to see Julian get his award!  Ang and Debbie crested the final hill holding onto each other basically willing each other to the finish.  It was clear the run had been a struggle but they were still putting one foot in front of the other and were almost there!  With a final surge they crossed the line - tired but happy.  This wasn't how they planned things when they put this race on the calendar but considering all the challenges of the previous month it was a clear victory.

And yes, she got to see Julian get his 1st place award.

Angelia, Julian, and Debbie after the awards ceremony.

After that, it was off to IHOP and then my dad's house where Connor was already having some good ol' Memorial Day fun!

Why swim when you can ride on a grandparent?